Hellboy: Minion of the Hierarchy
by Yukiko-sama
Summary: Something foul is lurking in the city. Bodies are missing, demon pacts are made and death is on the rise. But is the B.P.R.D. working alone? Not if the M.C.I.A has anything to say about it. HB/Liz. Maybe Abe/OC. Ch. 3 is up.
1. Special Delivery

(A/N: 12/28/08 – I did a little revamping with this chapter. The same will be said of chapter 2 when I finish with it.)

(A/N: 07/23/08 - I know. I know. I keep messing with Chapter 1. Mostly the author's notes. And the summary sounds so much better now! Yay.)

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Crime/Romance/Supernatural/Drama/Humor (That's a lot of genres. o.O )

**Warnings:** For now, just language.

**My Rant:**

My first Hellboy Fanfic. Be gentle. –cringes-

The character, Nina Rogers, belongs to me. As for the rest in this chapter? They all belong to Mignola the Great.

I have pretty much no knowledge of the comic-verse and have yet to see the second movie. (So, if you're looking for a story based on those, you won't find references to it in mine (except maybe some about Abe's past). Sorry.)

There is a possibility of romance seeping its way in. Liz and HB will be following the movie-verse relationship since it's canon. And there might be someone waiting at the end of the tunnel for Abe. We'll see how it goes. Fish-men need love too. And maybe endoplasmic beings, though I can't work the particulars for that. o.O

This chapter has a lot of attempted humor. Bare with me and give it a shot. :)

**1- -Special Delivery.-**

Children were laughing as they played on the swing sets and jungle gym provided on the soft sands laid out across the park. Couples sitting on benches made of delicately painted wrought iron enjoy the beauty of their surroundings and the beauty of the loved ones they sit with. People are walking and jogging with friends and dogs.

It's a typical weekend sight to see among a buzzing suburb in Jersey.

"Hey! I said stop!"

Huffing under the pressure of constant running, Agent Nina Rogers jumps over a fallen trashcan, throwing herself at the young male with a black briefcase firmly tucked under his arm. She smashes into his back, causing both to skid on the ground face first. The jolt knocks the briefcase out of the man's arms and into the street.

"Let go of me, you stupid bitch!"

Both struggle to gain the upper hand of the situation. Arms and legs a tangled mess. Scratches and punches make their way into soft sides producing the muffled grunts of pain that askew the peace of the park as people look on in shock.

Mothers rush to grab their children, and people back away from the fight afraid to intervene.

"Give it up, kid!"

A swift uppercut to the face sends Nina sprawling back, an unlady-like 'umph' crossing her lips.

"Why you little—," The man cuts her off with a cocky laugh. Shifting back onto her arms, she pulls her legs out and kicks him back.

"You're a pain in the ass, lady."

Nina smirks as her fellow field agents make it on the scene.

"I'm afraid it's the end of the line for you, love."

Her eyes narrow when a loud 'shlink' cuts through the air. The man's right arm rapidly shifts into a sharp, curved metal blade. He swings it back and forth in the air, adjusting to the feel.

"Oh, I'd say the odds are looking pretty good for me. After all, I've escaped more than my share of dumb cops."

Nina bursts into loud laughter at the statement.

"Oh darling, you have no idea do you?"

Her smirk rapidly shifts into a victorious sneer as two female field agents stand at her side.

"This is your last chance, give up peacefully or face the consequences."

Unphased by her words, his face scrunches up as his body tenses, and he makes a leap for Nina, blade at the ready to thrust forward.

Unmoved by his actions, Nina sighs. They always had to make this difficult. Just as his sword-like hand comes within an inch of her face, His body suddenly flies back, ass smacking the ground with a loud slap. The wind knocked out of him, his concentration waver and the arm blade shifts back to a hand.

Nina walks up to him feet mere inches from his and looks down on him condescendingly. "You had your chance."

She shifts her head to the side addressing her colleagues, "Ladies, bag this asshole."

Two "yes, ma'am"s are heard as the agents close in on the suspect.

The man starts to struggled on the grounds, his face strained at his inability to move. "What the—!?" A soft smile crosses Nina's lips as the situation is back under control.

"It's a shame really. How you throw away your potential on petty theft and drugs, Cutlass."

Four agents roughly grab him by the arms and clap him in thick irons. One agent nudges him in the head and tells him to "shut up" as he attempts to mouth off.

Nina turns her back to them, arms clasped behind her.

"James Forsait. By order of the Mutant Criminal Investigative Agency, you are under arrest for your countless dealings in illegal drug trafficking along with the use of your mutant abilities to endanger the safety and livelihood of the public. You will be place under the confines of the government sans trial."

Shifting her head to the left, she nods to the agents. "Take him to the special holding facilities. Make sure you use titanium casings on his hands. We don't want to chance it."

"Yes Ma'am."

Cutlass starts to struggle as they begin to drag him away. "What the hell kind of arrest is this!? Where is my reading of the rights!? I want due process! I want a lawyer!" He shouts at her.

A slight frown hits her as she looks at him.

"I am sorry, Mr. Forsait, but by direction of the Government, you no longer have any rights. In this day and age, mutants don't have the luxury of civil rights once they've committed a crime with the use of their powers."

His face falters and she cannot help but feel a bit sad for the man in front of her.

"I would suggest making this as easy on your self as possible. Don't resist, cooperate and maybe it will keep you from being grouped with the more violent of criminals."

With nothing else to say, they take him away.

A few agents stayed behind to await further instruction. Nina sighs as she looks out at the innocents staring at her and the others on site.

"Alright, Alice I want you to erase their memories. The last thing I need is a large group of people casting their account of the incident on the 6 o'clock news."

She nods and starts walking over to where the majority of the crowd is standing trying to gather their attention.

Nina crosses her arms over her chest and closes her eyes. A small sigh escapes her lips.

"The rest of you, please make sure none of them try to sneak off. I know she can trace all of the witnesses, but try to make it as easy as possible for her. It's pretty taxing on her abilities."

Quick yes ma'ams and foot steps follow as they spread out across the park.

She turns away and walks over to the street, picking up the briefcase from earlier.

"Oi—what a day."

* * *

**-M.C.I.A. Headquarters – Jersey/New York City Division-**

"Agent Rogers."

Nina looks up from her desk tapping files upright and trying to straighten them together as smile flits across her face.

"Director, is there something I can do for you?"

They both share a knowing look.

"Nina, when have I ever left that hole of an office without a need for something?"

Her little smile shifts into a full blown vision of pearly whites. "Good point."

"I need a very dependable person to deliver these over to the FBI."

Nina's face falls flat into a frown as soon as the "FBI" is mentioned. "Ah," she falters, obvious discomfort in her tone, "I see." She pulls a little at her collar and continues, "What a torturous task to take on. Any possibility that I can make the team draw lots to see who gets to deliver this precious package?"

The director's face takes on an amused look, expecting Nina to bring out her usual antics. "Not a snowball's chance in hell."

Nina can't help but laugh at her comment. It was rare for the boss to manage humor during their brief talks.

The director pulls out a set of files and lays them on her desk.

"These require a very high level of security clearance. And quite frankly you're one of the few that qualify."

Folding her hands together in front of her, Nina rests her chin on top. "Super good, director. Super good. When and where?"

The director gives Nina a strange look at her first statement, but continues on anyway. "No greater time than the present. It needs to be taken to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense."

Nina smiles, humor apparent in her eyes. "Ah yes, the, as Dr. Manning stated, 'non-existent' sector of the FBI." She gleefully makes quotation signs with her hands at the use of "non-existent". She had managed to catch his little speech on national television about that particular department. Accounts of the blunder were all over the news for a whole week. A sense of glee had broken out in her when she learned of his situation. Cover ups were always his specialty, the man could lie without a blink of remorse. So serious too. She always itched to find a reason to tease the man. After all, his blunders were few and far between. Her director's next words broke through her reverie.

"Yes, deliver them there. More specifically, deliver them to Dr. Manning."

Nina's face clouds over at the mention of that. "Ah—Manning actually works in that specific department now?" Realization that he was actually in charge of said department left a sinking feeling in her gut. She knew that he had changed positions again, but she had not realized he was covering up his own department. She just always presumed he was cleaning up some other department head's mess.

The director gives her a sympathetic look. "Yeah."

Nina shakes her head and gives the director a reassuring smile. "You really are sending me into the heart of the fire." She looks straight ahead, her lips thinning into a hard line. "Don't worry, I'll have it taken care of."

* * *

**-The Newark, New Jersey Sanitation Facility a.k.a. Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense-**

A black sedan rolls up onto the short driveway in front of a secure gate. The air is stuffy and the sky looks dismal. The area screamed dull and boring,

The soft whirring of the engine came to a halt. The door swung open and Nina hauled herself out of the car and over to the rusty looking call pad located on a concrete wall connected with the gate.

Her gloved finger pushed the button next to a number "203" and sighed.

A second later, the scratchy noise of an outdated speaker reaches her ears along with a gruff and rather pushy voice.

"Whad'you want!?"

"Mm," She pauses slightly at the rude tone in the man's voice. "Nina Rogers, MCIA. I'm here for old man, Manning."

A retinal scanner suddenly pops out of the call pad, fastening itself onto her right eye and taking her reading. She blinks back from the double puff of air pumped at the pupil. Crinkling her nose, she gives out a caustic remark, "And it's only our first date."

The gentleman over the speaker gives an apologetic laugh and mumbles out, "sorry, miss."

Attention returning to the screen, it bleeps and her picture and identification number are splashed on the display. Nina's face scrunches, clearly displeased. "I _really_ need to update that photo." Memories of the photo before that sent a feeling of dread throughout her. What was she thinking, going for the 80s teased look. The picture had been so hideous, half her hair was cut off it was so puffy.

A noise goes off from the gate as it 'shlinks' giving access to the path leading in. Pulling herself back into the car, she drives around the lit pillar and to the front of the building.

Her feet make a little 'pitter patter' sound as she makes her way up the steps, light on her feet. She stops at the door and looks up at the looming building, the cold air causing her breath to come out like puffs of smoke. "—into the fire indeed, Director."

Pushing hard against the heavy doors, she stumbles into the quiet facility. She makes her way towards a corner and pokes her head past it. "Hello?"

A man dressed in a snazzy uniform stands domineeringly over at the end of the hall. Nina swallows and pulls down on the front of her coat, straightening out any wrinkles. Stepping out from the wall, she heads towards the man, papers firmly grasped in hand.

"Afternoon, I'm here to see Dr. Manning?"

"I know. We're expecting you."

The slightly raised height and commanding voice made the man seem condescending. She couldn't help but feel a little irked by his seriousness.

"Please, watch your hands and elbows."

Her eyebrow rises at the remark. "Huh?"

With a slight screech and jolt, the large crest underneath her detaches from the rest of the floor. She recovers from the sudden movement.

"Oh. Thanks."

Just as it's about to lower her out of sight, she looks up at the man and winks. "By the way, cute hat."

She disappears under the floor before she can see his reaction.

The lift slowly makes its way down, passing windows with offices. Glancing around, she cannot help but wonder how long this little ride is going to take. Judging by the lack of speed on this thing, she expects dinner will have come and gone by the time she gets out of here.

Just as she's about to sit down and rest her legs, the sound of air pressure being released from the breaks attached to the lift alert her of it stopping. The panel makes a stop in a small room with a large 51 etched into the concrete wall and one set of fancy golden double doors sitting next to it. Letting out a puff of air that flipped her bangs up, she steps off the panel and to the door. With only a slight pause, she grabs the handles and swings the doors open in a dramatic gesture and waltzes into the room. In a raised voice, she shouts, "I have arrived!"

Her hands wave upward in a grand gesture and she makes a ridiculously fancy pose. She continues to stand that way, waiting for a comment. With none forthcoming, she blinks and pulls out of the pose. Looking around, she spots a young woman in a short haircut on the couch, book in hand and staring at her completely speechless. It takes Nina a second but recognition overcomes her face.

"Lizzy?"

The girl's face lights up and she jumps up from the seat. "Nina!" Walking over to the girl, they meet halfway and embrace. Lizzy looks up at her, a smile evident on her face. "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been?"

Nina flashes a smile. "Oh, you know, the usual. Terrorizing the world, bringing people out of their complacency with my obnoxious remarks and the occasional embarrassing joke that gets me thrown out of a bar or three."

Lizzy laughs at the comment. Her lip quirks up and she gives Nina a knowing look. "You haven't changed a bit."

Nina provides her a charming smile. "You wouldn't have me any other way." Waving her hand in nonchalance, she continues on, "Anywho, how have _you_ been, my dear? Any improvements?"

Lizzy's face softens and her eyes light up. "Yes, actually. I've been getting better at controlling it. And things have been so good for me. I'm seeing this great guy—."

"Oh, ho ho! Are you now? How I envy." She nudges Lizzy in the side with her elbow and winks.

Lizzy rubs her side and blushes. "Yeah, it's really nice."

Nina grasps the girl's shoulder and genuinely smiles. "I'm really happy for you."

She takes a step back and crosses her arms. "Now, as for your powers. Give me an update. What kind of improvements are we talking here? The "I don't blow things up as much now"? or more of a "I'm gonna smote your ass if you touch that last piece of cake?"

Lizzy continues to smile but this time with her eyebrows raised in an awkward way. "Um, I'd say a definite yes on the first, but not so much on the second? I can somewhat throw fiery projectiles, but sometimes they're a little off."

Nina raises one arm to rub her chin thoughtfully and looks skyward.

"Ah, accuracy issues. That shouldn't be a problem for too long. Or so the professor had said, and as we know, he's rarely ever wrong." She looks back down at Lizzy with an assuring glance. "Besides, you're a quick learner."

Lizzy smiles, a sense of hope filling her.

"You know, Lizzy," Nina pauses as her face turns serious, "If you were a guy, I'd totally ask if you could learn to blow fire out of your ass. What a show that would be. Plenty of people would pay to see and we'd never have to worry about department funding ever again."

Lizzy bursts into laughter, clutching her stomach at the intensity of it.

Just then, a slightly loud commotion is heard coming towards another set of doors, and suddenly a crew of men burst through. Nina's eyes widen slightly at the tall and very _red_ man trailing in after them, a rather angry look on his face. Hearing a voice from the past, she cracks a smile border-lining insane.

"Oh! Looks like the debutant has finally arrived! You always were fashionably late, Tom"

"Aww…_shit_!"

Nina smirks at the comment. "Good to see you too."

Off to the side, Lizzy is still laughing, trying hard to get it under control but failing miserably.

Manning stares at her, "What's wrong with you?"

Nina covers her mouth as she lets out a laugh. "Oh sorry, I made one of my ghastly remarks about her abilities."

The large, red man stiffens and his glare shifts from Manning to Nina. Lizzy notices and immediately sobers. "It was rather hilarious. No need to get defensive, big guy." She smiles at him sincerely and he relaxes.

"Care to introduce me?" Nina raises her eyebrow at Lizzy expectantly.

"Oh! Sorry. Yeah, HB this is Nina Rogers of the--". Liz looks to Nina unsure of what comes next.

Nina cuts in, knowing that she'd have some explaining to do with Liz later on. "Mutant Criminal Investigative Agency".

Liz nods in affirmation and continues, "Yeah. She stayed with me a short time at one of the facilities I used to live at. And Nina, "She gestures at HB, "This is Hellboy."

Nina walks over and holds out her right hand. "Nice to meet you."

HB smirks and pulls his stone hand out. Her eyes widen as Nina pauses at the sight of the size difference.

"Oh my." Blinking, she throws a look back at Lizzy and smiles deviously. "Please tell me this is the guy you were talking about earlier. If not, I'll call you crazy and take him for myself!"

Hell Boy's eyebrow rises questioningly and looks over at Lizzy who is currently sputtering.

Annoyed with the conversation, Manning walks over to Nina and huffs. "Is there a reason why you're here, Agent Rogers?"

"My, so formal, my love."

"Don't call me that."

"Whatever you say, shnookums."

"I hate you."

Nina laughs and holds the files up in front of his face. "I was sent to give you these" Just as he is about to ask a question she cuts him off. "Don't know what they are, so don't ask. Just read 'em."

Manning snatches the files out of her hands and walks over to a desk set off to the side. Pulling them open, he starts to glance at a few of the files. "Did you make your way over here without much trouble?"

A loud 'pffft' escapes Nina's lips as she rolls her eyes. "Are you kidding me? I had one hell of a time making my way out here with just this tiny slip of a paper about "waste management facilities" and "BPRD". There wasn't even an address. The dolt who gave me the slip needs to work on his searching skills. I hate it when I wind up doing someone else's job. I got lost about 4 or 5 times on my way over here. OnStar is crap." Nina absently waves her hand. "I should've gone with TomTom but nooo! The guys wanted to take directions from the "sexy lady"." She scoffs at the notion. "Those boys seriously need to get laid if they rely on a female voice recording to get off."

Manning fathoms a smirk at her dialogue. Lizzy's and HB's faces amused by her strange antics.

Nina walks over and crashes on the couch. "Well, I hope ya'll don't mind the extra company. I fear the Director expects something back from you, and I'll be the carrier. You know how she gets sometimes." For a second, Nina and Manning share a knowing look.

Grabbing the files, Manning heads for the door. "I'll go over the reports in my office." He stops and turns to her. "Try not to wander."

Nina gives him a sick, sweet smile and raises one hand to give a short wave. "Buh bye."

Once the door closes, Nina relaxes further into the couch and sighs, closing her eyes.

She feels the space next to her sink in. "So," Lizzy inquires, "you seem to know the boss pretty well." With arms raised and crossed over her head, she cracks one eye open and looks at both Lizzy and HB. "Mm—we used to date."

Lizzy chokes on a cough and HB manages an uncomfortable grimace.

Nina bursts into laughter. "Ah yes, the exact face I make when I think back on it. But it wasn't always so bad. He was a lot younger when I was with him." Nina's face falters slightly. "But apparently someone pulled the plug on his looks."

Nina sits up. "It's been many years since I've seen him face to face. I did manage to catch him on the tube a few times, but other than that our contact pretty much dried up. Don't regret it much either. Woo man, we'd have some really bad fights from time to time." An awkward pause fills the room, Nina reminiscing on her own words. Lizzy touches her arm and she snaps out of it.

"Anywho," She slaps her hands on her knees and stands up with a smile. "How about a tour?

"Sure." Lizzy smiles and loops her arm in Nina's.

HB walks over to the glass window panes, "You're going to have to do this without me." Hell Boy not the least bit disappointed in missing out. "I'm waiting on Blue."

Lizzy nods, "Right. C'mon Nina."

Walking through the door, arm in arm they make their way into the vast halls of the Bureau.

They're silent as they pass through, Liz occasionally pointing things out.

"So," Nina says, "Who's Blue?"

Just as Lizzy is about to reply, the door next to them bursts open and a man bumps into Liz, causing Nina to stumble as well.

"Sorry!"

A few papers now lay scattered across the floor.

Both Liz and the man crouch down to gather them up.

Upon standing, the man smiles and takes the papers as they're handed back. "Thanks Liz."

She smiles in return. "No problem."

A small "Ahem" interrupts them as Nina stands there waiting for an introduction.

Liz makes an awkward face and then her eyes widen as she realizes what Nina's asking. "Oh! Sorry. John, this is Nina Rogers. And Nina, this is Agent John Myers. He works closely with us on cases."

They both shake hands and nod their heads in greeting. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Myers."

"Same." A distinct pause and John clasps the papers tighter in his hands. "Sorry to cut our greetings short, but I've gotta go meet up with HB."

Liz turns towards Hell Boy's location and nods in said direction. "He's over in the library."

John starts to walk quickly down the hall and shouts over his shoulder. "Thanks! Nice meeting you, Nina!"

With a smile plastered on her face, Nina loops her arm back with Lizzy's. "Shall we continue?"

Nodding in amusement, Liz continues with the tour.

* * *

About an hour passes and both women wind up in Liz's room catching up on things.

"So let me get this straight. You basically hunt down super humans with criminal records?"

Nina continues to file her nail as she lounges on a fluffy chair located in the corner of Lizzy's room. "Pretty much. We're like super cops. Not much different from what you seem to be doing."

Liz nods in slight understanding. She sits on her bed, one leg dangling off the edge. "But, why are the BPRD and MCIA completely separated? It seems more efficient to have us all be working together."

Nina shakes her head. "Well, there is a distinct difference between what we both do. You hunt down the supernatural. I hunt down mutants."

Liz's face shifts into a confused look.

"But aren't mutants supernatural?"

Nina nods, "In a basic definition, yes. But when you get a little more technical, they become very different. You deal with beings that are thought to be mythological and are slightly obscure to common human knowledge. You get your information from the occult. While mutants are pretty much all humans born with the labeled X-Gene, It's like they're in a category of their own. They don't go around summoning hell beasts from some other dimension. They aren't popping out of gates to the underworld or anything. They're just regular people with a little extra power. My job is to stop those who harness their power to commit crimes. We're still working on easing the knowledge of mutant existence to the public. Not very easy. In a few cases, it was like the Salem Witch Hunts all over again."

Liz nods in understanding. "Yeah, I can see that happening."

A pause in their conversation gives Nina a little time to ruminate over the afternoon's happenings. A slight nagging feeling hovered over her as she recalled their previous conversation, remembering that she still didn't know who this 'blue' person was. Liz had told her about HB occasionally being call "Red", but who is his colored counterpart? Deciding now was a good time, she brought the matter up once again.

"So, anyways, about this Blue guy—,"

Suddenly, a red light starts flashing in Lizzy's room and the loud blaring of the claxon startles them both.

"What the hell!?" Nina looks to Lizzy for an explanation. "Is this a fire drill?"

Liz laughs as she grabs her hand and drags her out the door. "No, it's a mission. Come on!" They both start running down the hall.

* * *

At the sound of the claxon, Liz comes hurdling through the doors eager to find out what is terrorizing the Jersey streets this time. Nina comes stumbling in behind her, slightly out of breath.

Excitement gleams in Liz's eyes as she awaits the briefing.

"I hope this isn't another false alarm ending with us in a room reserved for monthly drag queen bingo. I know Abe became the star of the party, but isn't it a little too soon for another round?"

"That is not the least bit humorous." The slightly aggravated voice rang out from across the room.

Nina's head followed and she paused at the site before her. She'd never seen such a ridiculous outfit. Covering her mouth, she tries not to laugh at the contraption adorning the neck of what she assumed was a man. A very _blue_ skinned man. She couldn't help but think she was trapped in a game of red vs. blue between the sight of this guy and Hellboy.

When the whole room erupts into laughter, Nina is brought out of her reverie. The indignant look on his face tells her that Liz's jibes were still flowing.

A slight lilt is in Liz's walk as she heads farther into the room. She sends him a little smile, still hyper at the aspect of a mission. "I beg to differ."

Manning manages to make another dramatic entrance as the golden doors burst open and he comes striding into the room with a scowl set in.

"Now why couldn't I have this crowd when I made my grand entrance?"

Manning gives her an "are you stupid?" look before addressing the group.

"We've got a call in at the Tepper Galleries Auction House. I need everybody to suit up. It's a bit of a drive, so I'll explain the details on the way. Let's move, people!"

Everyone starts to exit the library, moving as quickly as possible. Manning marches over to Abe and places a hand on his shoulder. "Not you."

Abe looks up in confusion. "What?"

"You need to stay put. You're still recovering from the last mission."

"But—," He tries to protest.

"No. You're staying." Without another word, Manning leaves.

Liz walks up to him and gives him a quick hug. "You know he's right. You need to recover. Don't worry. I'll watch Red's back while we're gone." She gives him a reassuring smile and takes off. Hell Boy nods,

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be ready by the next assignment." He turns and follows after Liz.

The last of the agents leave and a soft click reverberates through the room.

Abe continues to stare at the door with his shoulders slightly slumped.

Nina sighs, causing Abe to face her, completely unaware that someone was still in the room with him.

Mockingly she states, "See you later, Nina. We'll catch up later. Nice seeing you again. Jeez, not even a goodbye. Just gone. Poof. Out the door."

Abe turns his head to the side and observes her. "Excuse me. But who are you?"

Nina gives him a little smile and walks over, hand extended. "Special Agent Nina Rogers." Abe reaches out for her hand and opens his mouth to reply, but she beats him to it. "And you—must be the elusive "Blue."

Nina is entranced by the feel of his skin, the texture rousing her curiosity. Never had she felt anything like it. It was similar to the scaly forms of most sea creatures, but it was somehow different. Her interest was indeed piqued.

She's a little thrown off as she suddenly feels his hand tighten ever so slightly, and looks up to see his face shift from intense to confused.

Abe is miffed at his failed attempt to read her. For some reason his psychometry isn't working.

Blinking at her, he raises his hands in what Nina can only describe as a grand, fluid gesture. "Why do you claim me to be elusive?" he continues on, attempting to cover his befuddled state with a question to her earlier statement.

"Oh," Nina waves her hands in front of her, "every time I asked who "Blue" was someone or something always diverted attention away from the question.

Nina had earlier felt the strange pull from her sensor device and looks up at Abe. "You're telepathic."It was more of a statement rather than a question. She could tell he was from the device alone. A dear friend of hers had developed it to help protect agents from any hostiles with telepathy. Mind reading made it too easy for any one of them to extract viable information from an agent.

Abe nodded ever so slightly at her remark. "I possess the ability to read people, objects and see their past or future."

Nina smiles. "Seems pretty handy."

"Yes, it is." He hesitates for a second, miffed by her perceptiveness. "How exactly did you know?"

Nina gives him a gentle smile, "In my line of work, telepathy is no stranger. Our department provides the proper tools to help us both detect and repulse telepaths."

He nods in affirmation, "I see."

And that ended that part of the conversation, leaving both in silence.

Nina touches her chin with an index finger as her other arm grasps her elbow. Contemplation crossing her features. Head tilting slightly to the right, she observes him. "Forgive me for being so frank, but what exactly are you, Mr—uh?"

"Abraham Sapien, but you may call me, Abe," He interjected. "As for your question, I am an Ichthyo-Sapien."

Dipping into her small pot of knowledge in Biology and Latin, she translates the meaning and tilts her head the other way making a disappointed face. "Hmmm, I was hoping for a more gripping tale, but I guess "I'm a fish man" will do."

Abe blanks at her statement and she laughs at the odd look he gives her.

"Sorry. I'm as strange as they come, Mr. Sapien."

"Please, call me Abe."

"If I call you Abester, will you be annoyed?"

"…"

"I'll take that as a yes."

Her laughter filled the room. She never could help herself when it came to pinching someone's nerves. It's never so much making them angry as it is seeing some sort of reaction, especially from the more stoic of society. That's why pushing Manning's buttons entertained her so. He could be a block of ice sometimes, and she always could bring out the funniest reactions from him. Just as with Lizzy and her director, etcetera. Abe was almost no different. His reaction not being quite what she had hoped for, but enough to suffice.

She could feel his gaze scrutinizing her, it always made her a bit self conscious to have people stare. After all, having a run in with Nina Rogers for the first time is just a rigamarole. It's almost natural to wonder, but it doesn't mean she has to like it.

She sends him a little quirk up of the lips and turns her eyes away from his stare. Observing the contents of the library, she begins to fidget with the books haphazardly scattered across a desk.

_Might as well start some form of conversation before his stare melts me into the ground._

Slowly, she flips through some pages, intrigued by the illustrations on each page. "It's pretty fascinating." Another page is turned as it makes a 'flick' sound in the still room. "All of these years of mythology, folklore, you name it, and some aspects of it turn out to be true."

Abe walks over to her and looks at the pages as well. "Yes, I find it all very intriguing. I enjoy studying the different cultures and making connections between certain entities. For example," He picks up a book and flips through the pages. Stopping at the one he was in search of, he places the book in front of Nina and points to an illustration. "This is a—,"

Nina takes notice of the creature composed of goat, lion and serpent and finishes his sentence. "Chimera."

He stares at her for a second and nods in confirmation. She smiles up at him and touches her hand to her face, eyes upward in a thoughtful expression. "The features of two or more different species all combined into one being."

He blinks. "Yes, that's right."

She can see his astounded look at her 'textbook' definition and for some strange reason feels obligated to explain. "Ah, I have a little sister."

Ever so lightly, she uses her hand that's still resting upon the table to softly caress the pages of the book before her. "She has an adamant obsession with mythology, mostly that of Greek and Roman." Nina can all but barely repress the giggles itching to set free from her throat. "Almost every night she calls me, reading some section out of her latest book that she's bought or been gifted. I swear, I've probably got more mythological knowledge in me than is healthy."

"Did you know," She says, resting her finger on her chin, "The earliest, surviving document of a chimera is from Homer's Iliad. Many of those creatures were believed to be the offspring of Typhon and Echidna."

Abe tilts his head to the side. "I commend you on your knowledge , Ms. Nina. It appears your sister taught you well."

Nina lays on a bright smile. "Thanks. I have a little interest in Chimera ever since she told me about them. Some of the pictures she has in her little collection are quite fascinating."

"Well, then you actually might enjoy this little bit of information." Walking around the other side of the desk, he opens a drawer and pulls out a small booklet a hint of excitement in his actions. "I've recently discovered some old scripts found back in the late 15th century." He opens said book in a delicate manner, mindful of the yellowed pages. "I managed to locate this small journal written by a young man of European decent who stumbled upon those documents. He managed to duplicate most of the writings and pictures, and a few of the originals were salvaged as well." Finding a page he approved of, he shows her a picture of a vast wooded area with a chimera hunched in the center of a clearing.

Nina leans forward and touches the page. "Oh wow. That's some serious art skill."

"My sentiments exactly."

Flipping to another page, he points to a paragraph."It appears the scripts state that many sightings of these creatures were seen throughout history. It's as if the ones who originally wrote these scriptures were keeping a record of witnesses through the centuries. Over two thousand years of data on the chimera. Such a rare find."

Nina begins to flip through the pages, admiring the many pictures. "That's amazing. Two thousand years! Most are lucky to find a minute's worth of some event in time." She stops on a page with a strange symbol she's never encountered before. "Hmm, what's this?" Turning the book around, she shows it to him.

Where her finger lay, a large symbol lay in the middle of the page, taking up most of its space.

Abe crosses his arm in thought, his face scrunching up in uncertainty."I'm not entirely sure of the purpose of that symbol. From what I could decipher, some witnesses have stated that it was seen on the chimera's ankle. Like a brand or tattoo. There hasn't been any other information on it other than it just being there."

Nina nods her head. "Hm. How very peculiar." She smiles at him and sets the book back down. "Well, I hope you're able to find what you're searching for. If you happen to solve the puzzle, let me know. I'm sure my sister would be delighted to hear such a tale." She winks at him and turns around lightly trotting down the small steps on the floor and lets out an exasperated sigh. "Well, as lovely as this chat is, I'm hoping Manning returns soon. I don't want my boss getting on my back 'cause of him."

"What exactly are you-?" Before Abe can finish, an agent comes running through the door, a phone gripped in his hand.

"Abe, Dr. Manning is on the line for you."

Nina makes a face, "Speak of the devil—."

The agent hands the phone over to Abe and stands by.

Taking the phone, he leans into the receiver and consecutively nods as Manning's muffled voice fills the room.

"Yes, I can look up the information from here. Give me a moment."

Setting the phone down, Abe glances up at the both of us. "I need some help getting my materials." Walking over to the desk, he grabs some paper and starts writing down the reference numbers.

Nina crosses her arms and shrugs, "Figures. I swear that man doesn't change even in his old age. Can't do anything on his own." The agent next to her stifles a laugh, hoping Manning can't hear from this distance.

Nina suddenly jumps at the vibration and loud ringing emerging from her coat pocket. The Peter Gunn theme blaring in the room.

Coughing in embarrassment, she pulls out her phone and flips it open. For a second both men stare at her in amusement, and she can't help but blush at the awkwardness. "It's the boss."

"Excuse me one sec-," She turns away from her audience and rests the phone against her ear. She answers, "You raaaang?"

A slight frown flits across her face and her brow starts to crinkle. "Yeah, got it."

Flipping the phone shut, she heads for the golden doors. "Sorry to bail on you, but looks like ya'll are gonna have to find those books on your own. I've got business to take care of." She nearly trips as she stops, remembering her original task.

"Oh, tell Manning I'll pick the stuff up later? He'll know what I mean." She waves her hand and pulls open the doors. "Nice meeting ya, Abe. Take care." Without waiting for a reply, she walks out.

The golden doors close with a light 'click', both occupants staring in wonder.

"Peculiar," he whispers.

The sudden sound of Manning's shouting brings them back to the task at hand. But before Abe can continue on, he looks back at the doors one last time.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Abe rips his paper in half and hands one piece to the agent. "You look for these. I'll get the rest."

With that, they both began to peruse the library.

* * *

**(A/N):** A nice soft ending to the chapter rather than a heart wrenching cliffhanger. Hopefully, chapter 2 will have more excitement. :)

Please feel free to give me some insight into the world of Hellboy whether it be about the comic book, movie, etc. I'd love to hear your thoughts. I would also love constructive crit. If you happen to enjoy my story so far, I'm glad you found one you like in the archive. If you don't, then I thank you for reading this far and sorry if you wound up reading the whole chapter. I also hope you find the amazing story you are looking for. O.O

And if you happen to be an artist and have done some Hellboy art, I would love to see it!

I really do hope to see Hellboy II sometime this week.

Anyways, reviews are loved and appreciated. :D


	2. Rampant Serpent

(A/N – 12-28-08: This chapter has been revamped due to my dissatisfaction with it. Hopefully, no one will be left with confusion at the end. I'm working on chapter three as you read this. :) )

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Crime/Romance/Supernatural/Drama/Humor (That's a lot of genres. o.O )

**Warnings:** Language, slight gore.

**My Rant:** Less humor, more action ( I think. ).

I hope the chapter is long enough to suffice. I'll be out of town for the rest of the week so it'll be a while before another update. It's my grandfather's 80th birthday, and all of his friends and family are flying out to Arizona to throw him a surprise party! Whoohoo!

I just hope we don't surprise him so much that he has a heart attack. -.-;

That would be really bad.

Anywho, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the four people who were kind enough to review! They were lovely comments, and I'm glad you enjoyed my attempts at humor. I would especially like to thank epalladino for giving me help on the character spellings and other little facts about the Hellboy Universe! Greatly appreciated. :)

Nina Rogers, Alice and Judith Grey and Ian Markovich belong to me. Everything Hellboy belongs to Mike Mignola. -bows down-

**-. Chapter 2 . Rampant Serpent .-**

* * *

**- Tepper Galleries Auction House -**

"I can't believe we're back here--again."

"Can it, Red," Manning says, his eyes roaming around the familiar rooms once again.

The last time they were called in, a small grindylow had escaped from a sealed urn originating from 17th century Yorkshire. It was attempting to eat a large group of children visiting the auction house with their school. Luckily, security was able to toss the pesky thing into a broom closet, but the BPRD was brought in anyways under the impression it was a serious matter. Needless to say, HB was annoyed.

He gruffly speaks over the comm. system, "Liz! Ya got anything?"

She nudges a splintered leg from an antique chair left scattered on the floor. "I've got nothing over here, Red. Just a bunch of trashed antiques."

The bud in her ear crackles from the static, hearing HB move on to the other agents. Flashing her light across the rubble left on the floor, she continues to kick things out of the way.

"Lots of broken, expensive crap, but no bodies."

Sighing, she starts to trace the walls, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

Manning told them most of the people had evacuated when they saw others running and screaming about a monster in one of the auction rooms. The police chief said the auction house security ran in to assist, but never came back out. While searching the area, two city officers spotted what looked like a giant griffin. So now, the team is left searching for a monster with little description and a bunch of bodies.

Ditching the scattered pieces in the room, she follows the trail of chaos into another room, running into Agent Myers along the way. "Hey," she says, "Any luck on your end?"

Myers shakes his head in the negative, "Just a lot of broken stuff. Not one body." He sighs, "There's got to be at least 20 people missing."

Turning around in the room, arms out gesturing to the space around them, Liz makes a frustrated grunt, "Where the hell could they all have gone? There aren't that many exits." She lifts her palm up, pointing towards the main hall connecting all of the different display rooms. "Their best bet was the front door."

Suddenly, a loud crash is heard, causing both agents to jump and draw their guns in the direction of the noise.

"What the hell was that?" Myers harshly whispers.

"No idea," She moves towards the noise, a soft growling echoing off the walls.

She lifts her hand in a stopping motion at Myers. "Do you hear that?

He tilts his head towards the sound, the growling just barely reaching his ears. "Yeah. It's subtle, but I can hear it."

They both start to slowly move in, taking quiet steps towards a large pile of broken armoires.

Out of nowhere, Abe comes bursting into the room, shouting. "Both of you get down, now!"

Just as he grabs the back of their protective vests, sharp pieces of wood burst forth from the pile and fly across the room, a blood curdling roar in its wake. Abe looked up in time to see the giant beast soar over him, its eyes making contact with his, full of rage, eyes bloodshot.

Abe immediately reaches for Myer's gun, easily slipping it out of its holster. He aims directly at the thing as soon as it lands on the ground skidding towards the corridor and spinning to halt, facing all three agents. Liz is already standing next to Abe, her hands engulfed in flames, ready for a fight. Myers stands slightly behind, fishing for his backup weapon, ready to assist.

Down the hall, Hellboy can be heard shouting from one of the rooms, making his way towards the commotion. Bits and pieces of sheet rock and paint crumble from the walls, the building moaning under the sudden strain. The beast's head shifts to the hallway at the sound of Hellboy and the other agents making their way towards it. It quickly turns back to the other three and unleashes another bloodcurdling scream. The force of the sound was like a shockwave, sending all three of them sprawling to the ground in a heap. A chorus of "oof"s and "ow!"s echoing in the room. Abe attempts to regain his balance above the others and sees the creature make a dash for the exit.

HB bursts in the room through a side door, gun at the ready, but is shocked to only find Abe huddled over Liz and John. "What the hell happened!?" He rushes over just as Abe stands up, brushing dirt off his pant legs. Hellboy makes a grab for Liz's hand and helps her.

Abe lets loose a string of coughs and starts pulling pieces of wood splinters from his suit. "It was waiting in the rubble. I had picked up on it just before it could strike."

He makes a grab for Myers and helps him stand.

John looks up at him and smiles, "Thanks."

Abe nods in acknowledgement, "You're most welcome, Agent Myers."

He looks back to Liz and HB as the other agents come pouring into the room. "At first, I was unsure as to what I was sensing, but as soon as I touched one of the broken vases in the other room, I realized what I was feeling was excitement, adrenaline, and a thirst for blood." He waves his hands around him in fascination, as if he could still feel those feelings pulsing through him.

Hellboy hoists his gun on his shoulder and takes a drag out of his cigar, pulling it away to release the smoke. "Just get to the point, Abe."

Abe's head shifts to the right and he blinks, "Right. This creature was preying on Liz and Agent Myers. At first I thought it was some species of lion considering the fact that I was sensing emotions rather than actual thoughts and memories. But upon closer inspection, I have reason to believe that this creature, my dear friend, is some sort of hybrid animal."

HB just stares at him, cigar hanging from the corner of his mouth. "Huh?"

Liz laughs at the look he gives and shakes her head.

Abe continues with the explanation, walking towards the outline of the door of the room. "Generally, a hybrid is something that combines two or more different species of something, in this case wild animals, into one final product."

Pointing at the edge of the door, he traces the outline of a dent. "If you notice, feathers lodged into the wall. Then," He steps back over to where the pile of armoires once were, "small patches of black fur clutching to broken wood from the blast."

Liz and Myers look at each other and she states, "Well we caught a glimpse of it. It had folded wings and a lion-like torso."

Manning steps into the room clearly annoyed, "So we're looking for a hairy bird?"

Abe looks back at him, "Not necessarily. The part that I witnessed has me believe that the creature is not dominantly bird. In fact, this creature had patches of scales and a serpent like tail."

He walks back over to the group and lifts his hands up, gesturing to the building they stand in, "The sound of its roar was piercing. Nearly to the point of paralyzing. Naturally, your bodies curled at the sound."

Liz stares at the ground and nods, "It was pretty loud."

Abe nods and continues, "hence, why I believe that our monster here is mostly made up of serpent."

Myers looks around the room and back to the others, "Okay, so we have a monster and missing bodies. Not really much further along than before." His face sets into confusion and asks, "Now what?"

A look of amusement passes Abe's face as he answers, "Why, I thought that would be obvious to you, Agent Myers."

Hellboy pulls his gun back down from his shoulder and grasps the longer end with his other hand, "We find it."

* * *

**- M.C.I.A. Headquarters -**

Nina grumbles as she flitters through another set of case files, occasionally stopping to type out a little more of the reports due on captured mutants. She taps her finger against the desk, waiting for the computer to catch up from whatever the damn thing was doing. "Ergh!" She grabs the mouse and starts clicking it repeatedly over the "bold" option. "C'mon!" She smacks the side of the screen. "Stupid thing! Work!"

An error dialog pops up on the screen and Nina can feel a headache coming on. Rubbing the side of her forehead, she grabs the phone on the side of the desk and punches in the extension to the service team.

The phone rings three times before a soft click and a muffled "hello" reaches her ears. With a sigh she comes off as whiny, "Hey frank. I've got an issue with my computer--again. It keeps freezing up and giving me some error message. Think you can come down and fix it for me before I toss it out the window?"

A chuckle reaches her ears and she can't help but smile. Frank lets out a tired sigh and answers back, "Sure thing, Nina. I'll be up in a few to fix it. Think you can manage till then?"

She smiles, "Yeah. Thanks buddy."

A quick "no problem" can be heard before she clicks the receiver back down.

The sound of heavy footsteps can be heard down the hall, and crescendos as Alice comes bolting into the office.

Nina smiles at how out of sorts Alice looks with her hair flopping around as she runs.

Waving her hand up with two fingers, she says, "Hey."

Alice's face lights up as she reaches the desk.

"Nina! Rep's on the move!"

Realization dawns on her at the woman's words.

Jumping up from her chair, Nina drops her paperwork on the desk and gathers up her coat, a look of satisfaction crossing her face.

"Excellent! Let's move!"

Practically trotting down the hall, she heads for the elevator, Alice beside her. Their breaths are already coming out quick, the excitement of an old case springing back to life raising their adrenaline.

Just as Nina's about to push the down button to the elevator, it gives off a ding and the double doors open.

Ian and Judy are already inside. The young woman breaks out into a smile when she sees Nina and her sister standing in front of her, "Hey boss! Just the one I wanted to see."

Nina nods, lungs still huffing. "Good, I needed you anyways. Makes this easier."

Ian starts walking off the elevator, hands in his pockets and a soft whistle escaping his lips.

Before he can get far, Nina moves her hand to his chest and pushes him back. "I don't think so. Get in the elevator too."

He sputters, completely bewildered, "Wha-?"

Nina cuts him off, a common thing among the group, "Get in! We've got a hot one." She grabs his arm without hesitation and shoves him into the elevator. Light snickering is heard in the direction of Judy. Alice side steps the stumbling male and squeezes into the elevator.

Facing up at the lit number plate above the doors, Nina waits as the elevator closes.

Without hesitation, everyone turns to the middle and huddles. This was always the perfect place for their private briefings.

Nina lays a hand on her hip. "What've ya got, ladies?"

Both girls start off at the same time, but stop short, turning to each other, Alice waving a hand at her sister, "You first, mine will take longer."

"Thanks," she says, nodding in recognition. "As I was saying, some new nano-equipment just came in this morning. The director went ahead and filled me in on some of its uses. Alice and I can use our abilities to activate some of them." Turning to Alice, specifically she says, "I'll need you to peruse my mind later and read up on the new technology. We can probably do it on our way, after the briefing."

Alice nods quickly in understanding, "Alright, is that all?"

"Yeah--oh wait!" Turning to Nina, Judy smiles mischievously, "The director wants me to remind you not to forget to pick up the return files from Dr. Manning."

Nina cringes as the mention and gives Judy a wry smile, "How could I forget? She should know better. Have any of us ever forgotten anything involving the FBI?"

Ian gives off an indignant snort, "I'm still recovering from the last catastrophe they called "a successful mission."

"Ugh," Alice scoffs out. "Let's please move on."

She pulls open a file that was tucked away under her arm. "Anyway, we just got a hit from one of the bigger sources we've been tracking. It's involved with the Rocardi drug ring."

"Hahaaaaa, yes!" Ian shouts. "It's about time something came up."

Alice smiles at his enthusiasm, pleased that everyone in the group is just as interested in her finds. "Looks like they've stopped playing it safe, Mr. McAllister has been put back to work. We've got sources spotting him wandering around the Fulton Fish Market, just a few blocks from some empty warehouses. There's a surveillance tape confirming the statements. It shows him sneaking around a furniture storage facility earlier this morning."

Nina wraps her hand around her chin, nodding in acknowledgement, "'kay, we need to set up a surveillance station around the actual storage facility, but I want other units placed near the surrounding warehouses."

The group nods just as the ding of the elevator indicates they've reached their destination.

Doors opening, Nina turns and is the first to exit into the car park. The others follow her to a small set of lockers stacked on top of each other. Small labels line them, each holding an agent's name.

Pulling their consecutive locker's open, they start shuffling around for protective vests. Ian and Nina the only ones strapping on standard issue .40 calibers.

"I want everybody to park over near Logan's. You know where that is?"

Ian looks up from his locker, "Parking garage off North Elm, right?"

Nodding, she confirms. "Yup."

Scuffling her feet down the lines of cars, she waves over her shoulder. "See you there."

* * *

**- Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense -**

Hellboy lay spread out on a large couch, his head leaning back against the arm. His large, stone hand hunched over the back and his other arm resting atop his forehead. A tired rush of air passes his lips and he lets his body sink farther into the plush cushions.

"Tired?"

Popping one eye open, HB is met with Liz leaning over his face, hair gently grazing his cheek. She smirks at him and lightly shoves his arm off of his face to lay a gentle kiss on his forehead.

He closes his eyes again and smiles. He couldn't remember being this content since his younger years spent with his father. Ever since the incident with Rasputin, he's been getting closer to Liz. Sometimes, they would fight. Sometimes, they would sit in pained silence.

She still holds a fear of her own powers, but the improvements have become more apparent over the last few months. He cant' help be feel a sense of pride at her accomplishments. The developing relationship between them seemed to deepen in their state of mourning for his father. They sort of held onto each other, like a life line. It was rocky for the longest time. Angst always made its way through, but for some reason, she never left like she used to. She stayed. And for that, he was forever grateful.

HB reaches out for her hand and pulls her towards him.

"Hey."

A small laugh escapes her lips as she whispers, "Hi back."

"Come 'ere, Babe."

She pinches him on the arm. "Ow!"

Giving him an irritated look, she barks out, "You know not to call me that."

Rubbing his arm, he mumbles, "Sorry, sorry." He then wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her in. Her knees gently glide over him and she rests on top of his broad chest, nuzzling her face into his neck.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly lets out a long "Hmmmmmm" and stretches her arms over his shoulders and past his face. Still nuzzled against him, she smiles, "This is nice."

The scent of her hair wafts up to his nose. Taking a languorous whiff, he lets her comforting presence sink him further into relaxation.

Looking up from where she lay, she lightly kisses him. He rests his hand on the small of back.

The slightest pressure of teeth graze his lower lip. Red gently runs his hand up her back and places it behind her head, cradling it, and slowly working his fingers through the sensitive parts of her scalp.

Sighing into the kiss, she pushes herself farther up to ease the strain on her legs and squeezes his shoulders.

HB just starts to deepen the kiss, when two of the cats suddenly jump onto the couch one stepping in between and the other just trampled all over them, both meowing incessantly.

Apparently, it was time to feed the cats.

* * *

In the library, Abe shifts through his tank, moving from one spot to the next, reading the many books placed on the stands. Agent Myers is perched on a ladder, attempting to grab another book that Abe has asked for.

"Agent Myers, when you're done, please be so kind as to turn the pages?"

A slight huff escapes John's lips as he finally snatches the book, happy that he didn't lose his balance and fall to his death.

"I highly doubt you'd die if you fell from that short distance, but if it makes you feel better, I won't be needing any other books. These should do just fine."

John blows out a puff of air, walking over to the tank to place the book out for Abe and turn the pages of the others. "I shouldn't complain. You haven't had the chance to relax in there for a while."

Moving to the next stand, he flips the page over, pausing at the drawing of a creature that looked like a cross between a rabbit and cat. "Abe, what exactly are we looking for?"

Abe moves towards John and replies, "I'm searching for any exact data on the hybrid we encountered. I want to see if there is a story behind it. If not, we just might be stuck."

John walks over to the couch and plops down onto it.

At Abe's words, he sarcastically replies, "Oh great. I bet Manning will be thrilled to hear that."

* * *

- **Fenton Docks** -

"Aaaaaaah!"

Ian flops back on the chair, head hanging back with his mouth wide open.

"I'm so boooooored!"

Alice laughs at his exaggerated manner. "What did you expect? That the suspect would just magically appear just when we did?"

Ian sits up, resting his lower arms across his thighs and slouching forward. "It'd be nice--for once. Besides, Nina already got some shots in with Judy earlier. I don't know why we need more. We don't even know if this guy'll be coming back."

Flicking his hand over, he checks his watch. "We've been sitting here for six hours. I'm going to lose my mind if he doesn't hurry up."

Alice shrugs and goes back to watching the video feed. "Be grateful that you're not the one holding up the nano-cams for said six hours. My brain is practically numb."

Ian grumbles and adjusts the glasses on his nose. Grabbing a deck of cards, he begins to stack them up into a tower. Occasionally, he'll bump his leg into hers, doing his best to annoy her. It only manages to make her laugh at his immaturity. But then, he absentmindedly throws a question at her amidst the silence of the room, "Hey, maybe after this, we can get some dinner?"

"Huh?" She blinks for a second wondering in her mind if she had heard him right. It takes her a second to realize that he was just asking in a casual manner. She blushes and mentally berates herself for getting her own hopes up.

Finally gathering her wits she replies, "Uh, yeah. Dinner would be nice."

The cards on the table collapse, some scattering on the floor. Ian bends down to pick them up, back turned from her. A little smile graces his lips. It felt like a small victory for him, asking her to dinner. Of course, he made it sound so casual that he couldn't help but think himself a coward as well for not being forward about his intentions.

"Ah!"

The sound catches his attention and he turns back to Alice. "What is it?"

She points to the screen and smiles. "Looks like one of our guests has finally arrived."

* * *

The little girl hesitantly makes her way into the warehouse, the eerie sound of dirty water dripping into a moldy puddle echoing throughout the building. Crate after crate line the area, leaving winding walkways around them.

The sound of shuffling feet from behind reaches her ears. She's frozen in fear, her heart pounding in her chest, palms sweaty and afraid to move. A large hand suddenly clamps onto her shoulder and she starts to scream, said hand quickly covering her mouth to silence her.

"Calm down, Sophie!" He says in a harsh whisper. "It's just me."

Her chest rapidly rises and falls as her breathing tries to adjust to his hand blocking some of her air supply.

"Are you going to be quiet?"

She quickly nods, and he slowly removes his hand from her mouth.

Her soft little voice comes out in a quiver, "David?"

She turns to look at him, her eyes watery and hands trembling, the softest of sobs escaping her lips.

The pale teen looks down at her, his face giving a reassuring ghost of a smile, "Yeah, sis?"

The little girl's face breaks out into a smile, throwing herself into him, she hugs him tightly. "I'm glad you're safe."

He places his hand on top of her head and holds her close. "Yeah, me too." He kisses her head and pulls it back slightly, making her look up at him.

"Look, Soph--I gotta take care of something before I can go with you. I need you to stay near the door, okay?"

She clutches the bottom of her dress and nods in understanding.

Giving her a reassuring smile, he gently pushes her towards the door. "Don't go wandering around. This'll only take a few minutes."

Sophie shuffles her feet and moves over to the door, fidgeting with her hands.

Sighing, David turns towards the darkened paths between the crates and starts making his way through them, his body disappearing from his sister's view.

* * *

**- B.P.R.D.: Fenton Docks -**

The claxon had gone off again this week. Agents lined outside parking garages, waiting on stand by for their orders. Hellboy, Abe and Liz stood off to the side, listening to Manning rambling on about a sighting.

"Look, we got a call in about a creature matching the description of that hybrid thing crawling around the docks. We need to locate it immediately and take it out."

One of the agents opens the weapon's casing, moving over so HB can access it.

He walks over takes one of the guns, grabbing a stock of ammunition, placing four bullets into the revolver.

"Little bastard isn't getting away this time," he says around his cigar. "I'm gonna blast him to bits."

Manning turns around and starts barks orders at the other agents. Over his shoulder, he throws a quick, "Good." and goes back to shouting.

Liz walks up to HB and touches his arm, "Abe and I are gonna take the east side, you take the west and we'll meet up in the middle."

HB nods, "Alright, just be careful." He looks over to Abe, "Don't let anything happen to her or I'll break you."

Abe grimaces at the comment and walks up to Liz. "I'll keep her as safe as I can."

* * *

**- MCIA: Fenton Docks -**

Nina comes bursting into the musty room, startling both Alice and Ian from the video screen.

"Hey, got anything?"

Alice adjusts the screen and points to the little girl within view. "It's his sister. She's waiting for him at the door." Alice looks up at Nina, "She's really scared. Her brother walked into the warehouse doing God only knows what."

Nina's face crinkles in disgust. "He brought his sister? Crazy bastard, has no common sense." She pauses in thought, then brings her attention back to the others. "I need you to pack your stuff up. We've got enough info on this guy. The pictures we obtained will suffice."

Alice asks in confusion, "What about the arrest? He's there for the taking. And we can't just leave that poor girl there all alone."

Nina stares at the screen again, watching the poor kid standing around scared half to death.

"Shit." Nina looks around the room, deep in thought. "Look, I--"

"Huh!" Alice's heart skips a beat at the sudden shift she feels in her mind. "Something's wrong."

Ian and Nina stiffen at the sudden change in Alice's demeanor. "What is it?" Nina says, walking towards her and grasping Alice's left shoulder.

She looks up in a state of panic, "It's Judy. She says some of the agents report that there's a commotion going on not too far from the warehouse." Her face scrunches in concentration. "It's some sort of animal on the loose." Alice's eyes widen, "She says the B.P.R.D. is there!"

Nina stiffens, standing a moment to process the information. Taking a deep breath, she slowly lets it out and calms her nerves. "Alice, I need you to tell Judy that she's to meet up with you. You're both to go to the warehouse and secure the child. I want her taken to a safe place."

"But-!"

"Don't question it! Just go! I'll fill you in later!"

Nina grabs a hold of Ian and starts to head out the door. "I need you with me. We need to get to the docks--fast!"

* * *

Hellboy grunts as the large creature launches into him for the second time, forcing his body to fly through the air and into a crate, completely smashing it to pieces under his massive weight. Little, pink packaging peanuts stuck to HB's face and fluttered around him as he stood up, hastily trying to pick the damn things off.

"Pushy little shit," he mutters.

The hybrid was crouched low, growling menacingly at Hellboy, waiting for his next move. It was bleeding from its left hind leg, where HB's bullet had pierced through it. Patches of fur and feathers were missing from it's body as it had been thrown around a few times.

HB reached for his guy, planning to blast the damn thing again, but paused as he felt nothing but air where it was supposed to be. As the realization sunk in, the creature pushes its lower body up into the air and shifts its legs, ready to strike.

"Crap."

It leaps into the air, but a thin spear slams into its shoulder, making the animal skid across the ground, howling in pain.

Abe jumps down from atop a crate and races toward HB. "Sorry we're late."

Hellboy shrugs, "whatever." It takes him a second to realize who's missing, "Where's Liz?"

"Oh, she's just--" A menacing scream fills the air and both men look up.

Set ablaze, the creature crumbles on the ground, writhing in pain. The fire only seems to get stronger the harder it tries to move.

Hopping down from another crate, Liz walks up to the creature as it slowly turns to ash under the intensive heat. "Well--that takes care of that."

All three seemed intent on watching the creature burn, making sure it was dead. But, out of the corner of Hellboy's eyes, he noticed a sudden movement, eyes widening as he realized what was happening.

"Liz!" HB shouts just as a man comes out from behind another crate, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest.

"Huh!?" Liz shouts in confusion. It happened so fast. The maniacal laughter floating past her ear. Shock sets in to anger as she prepares to light the guy on fire. Abe and HB start to move towards her, but stop at the man's voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he shouts, his voice taking on an almost metallic sound as his body starts to shift. Liz can feel his body changing and the skin touching hers becoming slick and scaly.

"Ugh, disgusting." She continues to twist under his grip, but shouts in pain as his legs become a long, slithering tail that binds itself around her body, slowly crushing it. Her teeth grind together, trying to stiffen her body against the pressure.

"What the hell is that thing!?" HB shouts, panicking at the sight of Liz under the man's grasp.

Abe looks on, completely bewildered. "I don't know. I've never seen something like this before."

Liz tries to gather flames in her hands, but the swift tightening on her body disrupts her concentration.

"Don't bother, or I'll break you in half."

Hellboy squeezes his hands into fists, knuckles tightening. "Let her go," He slowly grunts out.

The man gone serpent lets out a harsh, crazed laugh, "Ha! I ought to crush all of you for killing my master."

The man's eyes are wide and bloodshot, a maniacal sneer set upon his face.

"Master?" HB looks on, a tinge of confusion mixing with the anger in his voice.

Abe quickly stares off to the side at the heap of burnt flesh. Smoke was still rising into the air giving off a foul stench.

Nobody dared move. Both sides lay tense, a stalemate of stares waiting to turn into something more.

And just as suddenly, a screeching sound fills the air, and out of the sky, a large bird dives into the serpent, latching onto its head so hard it causes him to skid, taking Liz with him.

Both Abe and Red run after them with a shout, eyes wide at the scene playing out before them.

The serpent's head smashes into the concrete ground twice before its body slackens, dropping Liz from his hold.

With the bird still firmly digging its claws into the serpent-man's head, it starts to pierce the flesh, trying to pluck his eyes out.

"Aaaagh!" The serpent frantically grabs the bird and yanks it off of him, tossing it hard across the ground, taking satisfaction in the sound of it smacking into the cold concrete.

"Nina!" Ian shouts, running out to the bird, gently picking it up in his arms and cradling it. "Are you all right!?" he asks in panic.

Over across the docks, the serpent makes a dash for freedom all too aware of being outnumbered and disappears through the crates. A faint hiss the last of its presence.

"Quick little bastard," HB grunts too worried for Liz's sake to go after it.

Abe is also crouched around Liz, checking on her condition. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches the man aiding the bird in his arms.

Ian's face becomes distraught at the sight of her scratched up body. He holds her delicately nestled in his arms, checking for anything broken.

Suddenly, the bird's body starts to shift just as the serpent had, but into that of a woman.

Nina coughs and waves her hand dismissively at him. Her voice is raspy as she replies, "I'm fine. What about Reptilion?"

Looking up, he's no where to be seen. "Damn it!" Nina shouts, huffing in Ian's arms. "Why didn't you go after him?"

Ian looks down at her indignantly. "And just leave you here?"

Nina glares at him. "I'm not priority, Ian! The suspect is!" She rushes to stand, steadying herself from the slight vertigo of being thrown. "I'm not some delicate piece of china! You know better!" Ever so slight, a vein begins to form on her forehead, her blood pumping from the oncoming fit. She takes a deep breath, letting the air calm her. Releasing the air in her lungs, she relaxes her shoulders and speaks with blatant disappointment,

"God, you're such a rookie."

He manages to blush at her retort and glares at the ground. "Sorry," he mumbles.

Just then, agents start to swarm the area, both from the M.C.I.A. and B.P.R.D., Manning in tow.

Liz shifts slightly, Red's arm wrapped around her securely. "Now they show up," she bitterly whispers.

Continuing to stare at the other two people, many questions filling his mind at the incident that lay before him, Abe throws his comment to HB, "That was Agent Rogers."

Hellboy turns to Abe, barely hearing him over the commotion of the agents approaching.

"Huh?"

Before Abe can further his comment, Manning comes storming over to the group, jaw tightly set. "Did you get it!?"

HB points to the pile of flesh and ash sizzling off to the side. "Can't get any deader than that."

Abe steps up, "Yes, but we seem to have another problem."

"Oh great," Manning grumbles, knowing he isn't going to like what he hears next. "What is it, now?"

"It appears the creature we were tracking wasn't working alone. We ran into another being, a man who can turn into a rather large serpent."

Dusting herself off, Nina manages to look over at the B.P.R.D. Agents and she claps her hand against Ian's back. "C'mon. We gotta go make nice with the other kids. Call the others over, I'll handle Manning."

Ian only manages to nod, still a little burned from the earlier event.

Upon hearing Manning throwing his usual fit, Nina quickly approaches the group, interrupting their conversation.

Manning glares at her, clearly displeased by her presence and barely taking notice of her scuffed appearance. "What are you doing here?" He barks out.

"We're working a case. Same reason as you, apparently." She looks to the others and smiles. "Hey guys."

Liz's mouth quirks up. "Hey," she says, a little breathlessly.

Nina can't help but be concerned, knowing the girl might be suffering internal injuries. "You okay? You're not hurt are you?"

Liz looks skyward and shrugs, "Mmm, I'll live."

Manning roughly tugs on the front of his coat and makes an annoyed sigh. "Nina--"

She cut him off again, her face very grave and serious.

"It's not one of your super-naturals, Dr. Manning."

"Then what in the hell is it!?" He shouts , the sound of his voice echoing among the docks. His face held a deep frown, forehead scrunched up unattractively.

The sound of more agents arriving on the scene fills in the heated silence. Screeching tires and slamming car doors hovering over the entire group.

Roughly running her fingers through her hair, Nina shifts back to Ian and signals him to one of the newly arrived cars. Taking the hint, he walks over to a black sedan, and yanks open the back door. Rummaging through a cardboard file box, he pulls out a manila case file; then, slams the door shut.

Nina turns back to Manning. "We—Gentlemen," A slight pause.

It only takes a few quick strides before Ian's handing her the file. She takes it, and slaps it against Manning's chest.

"—are dealing with one David McAllister, a.k.a. Reptilion."

Her stare quickly spans across the group gathered around the scene,

"Under the M.C.I.A., he's listed as a B-Class mutant. Is wanted on numerous counts of aggravated assault, four counts of grand theft, and one count of attempted kidnapping."

She crosses her arms over her chest and shifts her weight to the right.

"He was last seen escaping from police custody two months back. Unfortunately, it's been hard to track the bastard."

Snide smirk in place, Manning was ready for his biting remark.

"Getting a little too old to handle the job, Nina?"

She couldn't help but flash a fake smile. "I'm not the one with the bald spots, Manning. Besides, I have no interest in closing down my department."

That smile transforms into a genuine smirk at the foul look he gives her, which only manages to deepen at the barely repressed snickers erupting from his agents. Hellboy offers up his amused grunt only sweetening Nina's enjoyment.

Coughing in annoyance, she continues, "As I was saying—We made a discovery that's turned our investigation from a quick bag 'n' tag to a distorted mess." Another pause as her mouth sets into a grimace. "It appears our little friend isn't working alone."

An M.C.I.A. agent walks up to her and hands over a pile of photos.

"I had figured he'd taken on some sort of arrangement with other fugitives, but this is completely off from what anyone expected."

Nina sifts through the photos and starts handing them out to Manning and HB.

"At first, we thought these were mutants who could shapeshift or mimic, but our databases have no prior info on them. We searched for names, backgrounds, anything. I must have done over 50 failed traces. I spent hours studying their photos."

"And then, it struck me."

Handing a particular photo to Abe, she lets him take a second to look the creatures over.

"These are not human."

"Exactly!" She gestures encouragingly, excitement filling her eyes.

"I had a feeling something was amiss. But as soon as I saw that one photo I knew. It's almost an exact replica of the creature we saw last week, when we perused that book back at the library."

She handed over more blown up images of the creature to Abe. "And it gets better. It took a few hours, but after blowing up the images, I found this."

She made a circular motion around the creature's ankle, the image blurry. "You can barely see it, but look."

Able held the photo close, tightening his eyes attempting to see what she has. And it was like a light bulb went off. There standing on its ankle was the unmistakable symbol. The symbol of the chimera. "Remarkable!" It was all he could say. Never before had there been such a siting. It was obvious to him before at the auction house that these creature were in essence chimera like creatures, but he couldn't very well confirm that they held any ties to the research journals he kept safely in the library. But this! This simple little symbol made all the difference. Solid proof of chimera existing from ancient times. Sometimes god-like, it was almost frightening.

Pleased with Abe's response, Nina pulls one of the photo's already in Abe's hands and places it next to the other. "It gets better." The second photo showed the boy standing before the chimera as if he were conversing with it. "Tell me, what do you see?"

She points at the man, earlier identified as David McAllister, standing in the photo. "Look closely, we were unable to blow this image up anymore so this is the best we could get, but tell me you see what I see. Tell me I haven't gone mad."

Abe's face scrunched above his eyes, giving him a refined look of concentration. Though Nina wasn't sure how he could manage it. The man didn't haven any eyebrows and his forehead was just a smooth plane of skin.

Abe's sudden response pulls her out of her reverie. "His left shoulder, barely hidden from the sleeve."

Excitement returning, she nods in earnest. "He was the first one I had noticed it on. I recognized that symbol from our short encounter at the bureau and could not rest till I searched that creature top to bottom to see if there was a link." Lifting her head back up, she looks straight into Abe's eyes. "As soon as I connected all the dots, I knew I had to contact you."

He shifts his head to the side and nods.

Manning can't help but feel a sharp anger at her staring at the Icthyo Sapien with such burning excitement. The feeling brought up memories. Memories of when she would look at him the same way. Their time together. Partners. She always got that look when a case got hot. Had it really been that long since they worked together?

Focusing back on the situation at hand, he breaks into their little conversation, and asks,

"Why didn't you contact me sooner?"

She turns back to him her expression hard. "Because—these photos were only taken late last night."

Shoving her hands in her pockets, she manages to look a little sheepish under his scrutiny. "Look, you've got the info now. I think we should all head back to headquarters, get our shit in gear and cooperate the best that we can. I know I'm gonna need your department's help in this as you will need ours."

Manning manages a rude snort, his stubbornness never failing to piss her off.

Nina manages to choke down a scoff at his ever present lack of professionalism. Giving him one hard stare, she uses one hand to latch onto his coat and make him look at her. "You know I'm right..." Subtle. Her lips turns upward.

Manning lets his hard features soften just a little, hating to admit that she was right, but then again wasn't she always?

"Alright. But we're holding this on my grounds. I want as much information as you can give me. I can't have these damn things running all over the city."

Nodding her head she tugs on his coat once more, "Alright."

And just like that they had come to some formal agreement. With an objective set in motion, Nina turns around to address her agents when a loud shot rang out.

People were suddenly ducking behind cars and crates, frantically searching the area, guns drawn.

Nina's teeth clenched tight, feeling the warm liquid soaking into her clothes, the lightest 'patter' sound reaching her ears as blood trickled down her jacket and onto the ground.

Liz looked up from her position, eyes wide as she realized what had just happened.

Before anyone could react, the most hideous beast Nina had ever seen shot out of a crate, diving for her body. Roughly grabbing Liz by the arm, she attempts to throw her out of the way as far and quickly as she can. The creature latches onto her outstretched arm, an agonized scream tearing from her throat.

As the creature seeps its jaws in deeper, agents open fire.

It begins to drag her body across the docks, the bullets flying off of its back. Large, metallic scales glistened in the sunlight, shielding the creature from harm.

Nina begins to panic, eyes starting to blur. Her voice continued to ring out. Somewhere between her screaming and the pain, she could hear people shouting and gun clips hitting the ground. It was so strange, like being in a stadium corridor, that echoing sound, muffled voices. It was so hard to concentrate. The air felt thick and her lungs burned like fire.

Another large shot rang out, this time from HB's weapon. It ripped into the beast's shoulder blade, making its jaws set even further into the flesh.

Nina could feel herself fading, the pain so intense. She knew she had little time. Why did she have to take an injury now? Now, when she didn't have the strength to help herself. Perhaps, Ian wasn't a rookie after all. She hated it when the director was right.

It was a last ditch effort. She needed him so she cried out to her friend, "Pulse!"

Ian's face ran white, she only called him by that alias when she really needed him. He hadn't been with the group very long and missions were few and far between for him. He was still getting used to the codename the department had bestowed on him. People only seemed to use it when he would have to do something drastic, something he knew he wouldn't like.

"I'm coming!" he yelled out, desperation in his voice. His friend needed him and he'd be damned to just sit there and let that thing continue to feast on his boss. Dropping his gun, he ran straight into the line of fire, agents suddenly shouting at him to stop, completely shocked. Was this guy stupid? But their shock deepened further as he started to glow. A purple haze surrounded him as he, unwavering, ran toward her the bullets bouncing off his body.

Running in as close to her as he could, he lifted his hand and squinted his eyes, heavy breathing turning into an almost wheezing sound. He couldn't hold out much longer. Long periods of use on his force field always drained him. He had to take the quickest and safest measure to secure Nina. With his powers already weakening and the monster still as strong as ever, Ian had to make his choice and he sure as hell didn't like it.

The sound of flesh being severed filled the air, the smell of burnt skin reaching Ian's nostrils. The creature clung to her arm, biting down hard, but Ian feared it would go after the rest of her. Without a moment's hesitation, he snatched Nina up in his arms, a light purple dome surrounding them as he began to sweat profusely.

Nina lay on the ground, unconscious and covered in her own blood.

The creature realizing the sudden detachment wraps it's tongue around the severed limb, lifting its head up and swallowing it whole.

Still enticed by the blood surrounding it, the beast starts to smash its head into the force field, trying to get to Nina, its hunger still unquenched.

Pulling himself out of his own shock, he tightens his hands into fists. A powerful determination enters his eye, it was time to put this to an end.

Gathering up his demonic strength, he comes charging through a crate, ramming into the monster and crashing it into the side of a warehouse, denting the wall behind them. Hellboy shouts in a burning rage, smashing his stone fist into the creature's face, making the wall dent even further, the metal starting to tear from the stress.

The creature's claws scratch at Hellboy, desperate to be free, but HB snatches it by the throat and swings it around him, gaining momentum.

With as much force as he could muster, Hellboy flung it into the air, its body hurdling through the sky and making a giant splash into the bay.

Just as he takes his first step towards the water, he falters at Liz's pained cry. Her mouth covered by her hands, sobs escape her as she stands 10 feet away from Nina's body. Manning is standing beside Liz, completely in shock. He looks to frightened to get close, afraid to accept what he is seeing.

Ian is hunched over Nina, attempting to cradle her mangled body, the forcefield completely dissolved now. His heart lurches at the site. His lungs ache at seeing the normally vibrant woman curled in his arms. He quickly looks to the other agents, eyes piercing. "She's still alive! We need to get her help!"

Ian's face was still white, he looks at the other with wild eyes, "Alice and Judy! We need them!"

Liz looks up urgency in her eyes, "They're back at the other warehouse watching the girl."

Without hesitation, Ian hoists Nina up, running as fast as he can.

Hellboy is looking at her in confusion. "How did you know?"

Liz turns to him, eyes still teary and wide. "There was a voice in my head. Told me to tell them."

Abe suddenly falls to his knees, hands planted flat on the ground.

Hellbody and Liz move to help him. HB lays his hand on Abe's back. "You all right?"

Abe releases a shaky breath. The emotions radiating from the people around him overwhelm him. Tightening his hands, he tries to regain some sense of composure. He could hear Ian in his head, the echoing sound of his voice just before he had carried Nina away:

"_That was the hardest thing that I have **ever** had to do." _

Abe looked up at Hellboy with painfully wide eyes, "I'll be all right. I just need a minute."

The voices continued to echo:

"_And I **never** want to have to do it **ever** again."_

Abe continued to stare down at the ground, the emotional flood finally waning. He could understand the man's reaction to what had happened. It was shocking even to himself seeing her arm completely severed from her shoulder.

But more shocking than that was the feelings being broadcast were not just Ian's. In fact, the emotions that spoke out the most,

Were from Dr. Manning.

* * *

(A/N:) And that concludes chapter 2. I hope ya'll enjoyed it. )

Chapter 3 should have more in-depth information on my characters. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave it in a review or email.

Reviews in general are loved and appreciated.

Enjoy the weekend everybody. D 07/23/2008


	3. Broken

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Crime/Romance/Supernatural/Drama/Humor (That's a lot of genres. o.O )

**Warnings:** Language

**Disclaimer:** I hold no rights over Hellboy. They rightfully belong to Mike Mignola. I'm just borrowing the Hellboy concept/universe for creative purposes. The only parts I hold rights to are those of Nina Rogers, Alison and Judith Grey, and Ian Markovich.

**My Rant:**

Yes, the elusive Yuki has finally posted another chapter after many months of hiatus! So sorry to keep you all waiting.

Fall semester was a hoot. But the good news is...I got an A in accounting! Oorah! So happy.

I bled for that class. There was lots of studying, coffee, tea and twitching involved, but I survived. Cabbage patch dance!

Also, I was finally able to secure a brand new desktop after the disastrous fate of my old laptop.

It's one thing to have someone flame you in a review, but it's pretty bad if your own laptop sparks then proceeds to set itself on fire. I feel I have experienced the ultimate of flames. Perhaps it is the "powers that be" 's way of toughening me up if someone does decide to toss one my way. :p

And on to my huge thank you to all the people who reviewed! I thank those who stated that the end of the original chapter 2 had confused them. I went back and revamped the whole section because honestly even I got confused. It's amazing how a little time away from your own story helps you see it in a new perspective. I also made some slight adjustments to chapter 1. Hopefully, the story is now much smoother and easier to read.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this long awaited chapter.

Oh and a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

* * *

**Chapter 3 - . Broken . -**

Soft beeping filled the room. An electrocardiograph picking up on the slow pulse of the heart.

A resounding --_Beep_--followed by the resonating --_Tick_-- of the wall clock hanging precariously above the patient room door. Not a sound but for the constant melancholic tune of the hospital.

_Beep. Tick. Beep. Tick._

Nina lay still in the lone bed occupying the whitewash niche nestled on the fourth floor.

Middle-aged hands grasp tightly against each other, the lone visitor's mouth pulling into a tight grimace as he stares at her peaceful expression. Her lashes lay cushioned on the soft rise of her cheeks, her lips lightly parted letting the wisp of her breathing slumber pass through.

_In…….Out…._

Manning slowly inhales and lets his breath release in time with her.

_Tick…Beep…Tick…Beep._

"_I don't understand--." _Slumping farther into the uncomfortable hospital chair, he reaches out and lightly caresses her hand, mindful of the IV slowly pumping fluids into her system. He had been here since yesterday, refusing to leave her side.

"_How could this have happened? How could that monster have even hurt you so badly?_

His face drained slightly of colour as the memory of the dock incident replayed in his mind like a merry-go-round that would never cease_. Bits of blood still covered his jacket. _

"_I was so scared…for you," _he whispered, the words barely escaping his lips, but seemed so deafening in the hollowed room.

His age had never seemed more prominent than now. The furrow of his brow setting deeper as his solemn mood deepened .

So lost in his thoughts, Manning failed to pay attention to the soft clacking of heels making their way down the hall, echoing through the building. The sound out of place from the more scrub adorned employees scuttling from desk to room, room to office. The heels continued to strike the linoleum floors, a sense of strength and power flowing through the sound. It offset the tune as it reached the patient quarters.

Rounding the corner and into the doorway, Judy halts and leans against the door frame, a file folder nestled securely under her arm.

After a short pause, a light knock followed.

"Dr. Manning?"

She waited patiently for him to answer, but no response seemed forthcoming from the brooding man. His burgeoning grief almost palpable.

Concerned, Judy walked up to him gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Tom?"

His head moving only a notch to the right gave her any indication that he was listening. Her head hardly sent him any comfort. Manning couldn't seem to get his head to wrap around the situation. He's known her for so many years and in those years not once had he seen her reduced to her current state. Nina was always so agile and experienced. Of course she had her many faults, he argued with himself. She could be as ditsy as the next person, but when it came to the job—she was always so serious, dedicated—strong. Yes, she was strong. I was never given any real reason to worry. This never happened.

He tightened his hands on the chair's arms, feeling the leather of his gloves twist and grip into his skin. Anger. Frustration. It was so sudden, he had to take a sharp inhale to keep the overwhelming feelings at bay. But when he spoke, the bitterness was clear in his voice. "Judith, how in the _hell_ did this happen?"

The first words out of his mouth. She half expected him to ask something along those lines. Even after all these years, he obviously still held some modicum of love for her boss. Surprisingly enough.

Alice and herself had witnessed enough of their constant disputes—And they weren't even together!

"I'm sorry sir. I can't reveal that information without prop-." She was cut off before she could finish her standard work protocol line. His icy remark making her twitch nervously.

"Don't use that line on me, Grey. It's bullshit and you know it!"

_Ah, was that a vein? The man really could work himself into a frenzy. I guess I should have known better_. His feelings clearly written on his face, but the feel of them in her mind and heart only managed to make her tighten her hold on the files she carried. A defensive stance at best.

"I'm sorry, sir. I just think it would be best for her to tell you. She understands more than any of us. I can only provide the most obscure of details." She pauses, hoping that he'd understand.

"Wait for her, I'm sure she'll tell you what you need to know."

And she can't help but smile a knowing smile, her next words an attempt to raise his spirits.

"And knowing you sir, you won't let her get away with anything less than the whole truth."

He seemed to take in her words, accepting them. If there were any two people who could keep him from getting the information he wanted, it was Alice and Judy. Two sisters of one mind. No always meant no with those women, but at least she gave him something.

She lets out a huff, attempting to break the silence. "Well, sir. I have some paperwork for you from the director. She wanted you to peruse these before the big meeting." She hands the manila folder over to Manning with utmost care. A sense of relief fills her at finally getting rid of them.

He was shocked at how bulky and heavy it was. There had to be at least 60 individual files stacked in there. Most of the pages dogeared and crinkled. These were obviously viewed countless times. Just how old was this case? And were they really all positively related? So many questions filled his mind. Nina was always known for squashing cases before they could go cold. It's why she was put in charge of the group in the first place. Sifting carelessly through the pages, nods at her,

"Yeah. I'll take care of it, and we'll brief the others back at headquarters."

He really had a lot of thinking to do.

With nothing else to give him, she thrusts her hands into her pockets and gives him one final look.

"She'll be fine." And with that, Judy walks out the door.

* * *

**- B.P.R.D.** -

Liz's eyes went slightly cross as the fancy tea cup was thrust in front of her face. Gently grasping its handle and the saucer underneath, she upturned her head with a tired smile. "Thanks."

"Looked like you could use a cup."

Alice smiled as best she could. The poor girl had been beside herself when they returned to the bureau. This was the first real encounter with the young woman. Nina had mentioned her before, after she'd returned from a three month retreat. Apparently, they had both gone to the same center. Her boss would talk about Liz from time to time. Mostly it involved exercises and improvements on control and management of their own powers. The poor girl seemed to have been in quite a situation with hers. But the last time Nina mentioned, she said Liz was doing rather well.

Placing her own cup down on the small coffee table, she relaxes farther into the cushions pulling her leg up under herself and turning more towards Liz. "So, Nina tells me that you two met while she was on retreat?"

Sighing in content at the warmth of the soothing tea, she takes one more sip before addressing Alice. "Yeah. We were both receiving help from the professor there."

Wanting to keep the conversation going, Alice pops out another question, even if she already knows the answer. "Ah, so what are your abilities?"

For a second, Liz seems uncomfortable, slightly wary of the woman sitting next to her. Telling people about what she could do always was a shaky subject. Years of rejection and horror stories as some would call them still haunted her. Even under the acceptance of the B.P.R.D., it always seemed difficult to approach the topic. Those at the institute did help make an improvement in talking about these things, but she had still made herself quite the recluse around others. Nina was the only one she had really connected with. Perhaps because her case had become just as serious as her own. But, thinking back on what Nina told her the last time she visited, she realized this was her friend's co-worker, and this Alice girl must be special just as Nina and herself are or should wouldn't be an agent in the first place. Perhaps opening up wouldn't be so bad—just a little.

"Well, I control the element of fire. Or at least try to." An uneasy laugh flew past her lips before she could even stop it. Falling back on her old defensive habits.

A feeling of understanding graced Alice's face. "Oh don't I know it." Looking around the room, pretending to check for others, she suddenly moves in closer to Liz and pretends like she's going to reveal the greatest of secrets. "Don't let it get out, but my sister and I aren't exactly the most refined in our abilities. Just last week Judy got so caught up in her own emotions that she broadcast them to the office boy in the next cubicle. It took us forever to figure out what was wrong with the poor man. He was crying for two hours straight!" A devilish little giggle escaped Alice's lips as she covered her mouth with a hand. "Needless to say, she was embarrassed."

Liz smiled, albeit in slight confusion. "I'm sure the same goes for that man."

Noticing her confusion, Alice sits up straight again and fiddles with a pillow. "Ah, yes. Well, my sister is what you'd call an empath. She has the power to read other's emotions, but also is able to control them."

Liz blinks at this. "Oh. I think Abe has something similar."

At this, Alice's interest is piqued. "Really? I'm sure Judy would be happy to hear about that. We haven't run into many empaths lately."

"And you?" Liz looks up expectantly.

"Oh!" Excitement flits across Alice's face. She always enjoyed talking about this stuff. Even if the world didn't accept mutants with open arms, it was always fun sharing with someone on the same playing field. In her line of work, most of the mutants she encountered were criminals, not exactly the type of people she should go blabbing off to about what her capabilities were. And it was never about bragging rights, but more finding someone to talk with about it. Especially the funnier stories about her mishaps. It's not like she can just go down the street and tell a stranger about the time she used her talent to pull some bully's pants down at the public park one Easter Sunday. Yes, these were definitely times she cherished.

"Well, you see—I deal more in telepathy. But both Judy and myself are capable of telekinesis. I guess as twins we were bound to have similarities in something. Since our personalities aren't always in sync, our powers are pretty closely matched."

Liz couldn't help to be a bit interested in what she could do. Sure HB and Abe had their own uniqueness, but Alice seemed to be more entwined with her. It made her feel comforted that there were more people out there just like Nina. Just like herself. "Could you—show me?"

A bit of understanding showed in Alice's face. Actually showing what you could do always made the situation more concrete. She had once been wary of others being capable of the same things as Judy and herself. Of course, that was long before Nina came into the picture. Saying something and proving it always made the big difference in any situation. Alice was all too happy to show Liz the gift bestowed to her. So with a quick "Sure," she shifted herself on the couch, lifting her hand out in front of herself and concentrated. With fingers lightly twitching, one of the books left haphazardly on a shelf against the wall slowly pulled itself out and floated towards Liz, making its decent to her lap and resting there with a soft 'thump'.

Liz's eyes stared straight ahead of herself, slightly wide and full of bewilderment. A breathy "wow" left her lips.

Alice laughed at the spectacle. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah. Much more convenient than setting things on fire." A rueful smile spread across Liz's face at the confession.

Alice couldn't help but send some sort of encouragement. "Oh, I don't know. My abilities leave me more prone to being lazy. While yours could prove to be more of an essential need. It's like that old question. What would you have with you if you were stranded on an island? Well I'd choose a Liz over a match any day. I'd get a companion and fire because quite frankly I don't wanna be stuck talking to a volley ball named Wilson."

Liz couldn't help but laugh. "Good point."

"Exactly," Alice nods. "I'm sure your talent can prove to be very beneficial. Fire is just one of those special elements, it can be just as helpful as it is harmful. I think it depends on the person who wields that kind of power. A person can choose to spend their life being controlled by it, letting destruction and chaos reign out of control or—they can learn from it, and turn it into something powerful yet beautiful. I'm sure the path is hard, but once you gain that control, you'll realize just how amazing you truly are."

A warmth spread through Liz at that point. Very few people had encouraged her when it came to her powers. It was always more of an avoided subject. Even Red tended to stray from the topic though more out of worry for her than his own discomfort. The last time anyone had even taken the time to talk with her about it was when Professor Bruttenholm had visited her at the last institution before his death. Grief gripped her heart, his death still fresh in her mind. Shaking her head of such thoughts, she turns to Alice, a smile beaming on her face.

"Thanks. I really needed that."

Contemplating for a second, Alice rests her finger on her chin. "You know, perhaps you and Ian should get together and practice sometime. I think he'd be a good partner to train with."

"Huh?," thrown off by the sudden suggestion, Liz just stares at her.

Ready to back up her reasoning, Alice goes on, "Well, Ian is still kind of new to the group and has yet to get a good baring on his powers. Being what they are, I think the both of you would work well together without as much worry about safety." Her face seems to light up more as she continues, "His power deals with force field generation and gravity manipulation, though the latter is greatly lacking as opposed to the former. And Nina is always telling me of how greatly you've improved so I doubt there would be any cause for alarm."

Liz seemed a little uneasy at the prospect, but a little help could never hurt. Her advisors at the institution she met Nina at did say she should try interacting more with others whilst training. And if it worked when she was with Nina, then it shouldn't be so bad with one of her colleagues. "Maybe—if Manning permits."

"Oh, pfft." Alice waves her hand in a completing mocking manner. "Don't you worry about that old biddy. Nina will square him away if he even attempts to stick his nose in this. Any objection to improvement is just ridiculous. I'm sure Judy and Ian will both back me up on this."

Liz beamed, "Well then, I'd say I've got myself a date!"

A twinge of pain hit Alice's heart just for a second, but she squashed it down before it could go any further. _No need for that, she's already dating that big guy. No need at all._

_

* * *

_

Ian twirled in the office chair inside the briefing room at the Bureau headquarters, his mind pondering Nina's progress. Earlier events still had him ill at ease despite his carefree nature inside the office. He could tell that Myers guy was a little perturbed by it, but Ian didn't have much of a care for the man's scrutiny. He just needed some time to settle his thoughts. He also wished Alice were here with him. A little dose of comfort never hurt anyone, but he knew she was needed elsewhere.

"I wonder if Liz is doing all right." He rubbed his hand over his eyes rather rough. The poor girl was in hysterics by the time they got her back to base. Hellboy had to carry her in and it took Alice, Judy and myself a good hour to make her see that everything would be okay with Nina. How long exactly had they known each other?

Myers shifted in his chair and scratched the back of his head in a nervous gesture. "Uh, I'm sure she is. Last time I checked in she had pretty much calmed down."

A mumbled "Good," fell from Ian's lips and then he continued to swivel in the chair. The only sound heard in the room.

"Mr. Myers."

"Gah!" John jumped from his chair, a hand over his heart. "Jesus Abe! You scared me!"

"My apologies." He bowed his head down ever so slightly. "I just came in to see how you were all doing."

A bit taken back by his open concern, John sits back down and watches as Abe settles into one of the chairs from across the conference desk. "Fine. We're fine." He looks over to Ian for a second then back to Abe.

Abe is staring intently at Ian now. He could tell the man was still under some mild stress. The earlier incident had left him with some kind of emotional scar, and the slight downturn of his mouth was just enough to give away the man's real feelings if Abe weren't already an empath. But with Myers in the room, Abe was less willing to approach the man about it. So instead he decided to broach a different subject.

"Miss Grey informed me of some case files being released to our department. We also have some information to hand over as soon as both Dr. Manning and Agent Rogers return." It wasn't much of a conversation starter, but Red always said it was something I needed to work on. Better to get some practice in now.

At this Ian sits up and folds his hands over the desk. "Yeah. It's all of the open cases that are linked to the Ricardi drug ring. There are many more, but the director decided to gather up all of the cases confirmed to be traced to the cartel. With all of these cases floating around, it'll actually be nice to have some help. I'll admit, we're understaffed as it is."

Agent Myers cuts in, curious about the case. "How long has your department known about the ring?"

Pressing his fingertips together and touching it to his face, his brow furrows in concentration. "I'd say about a year since we discovered it to be a mutant ring, but the cases have been around for three years. We just didn't have jurisdiction on those files. It only took one faulty drug raid to reveal the mutant activity. As soon as we took over, we started taking down a lot of the lower ranked cronies. I guess we got so good at our jobs, that the cartel went into hiding. The whole damn thing went so far underground, we couldn't trace it. So we were left waiting. The recent situation was actually our big break."

Both Abe and Myers nodded in understanding. "I see," Abe responded. "We're usually left waiting as well. Though for Hellboy and myself, it is for obvious reasons. Our human counterparts are the ones out searching. I spend most of my time consenting to research provided by our extensive library."

"Does the library have any new information on those chimera you spoke of earlier?" Memories of the dock flashed through his mind, just before Nina had been attacked. The photos were still fresh in his mind.

Abe tilted his head to the side, "Yes, I did find a few things. It is taking a little longer than expected to translate and organize the data. Most of the material I'm working with is newly acquired and partially damaged. The department still has some of it being processed at an archaeological research facility. Hopefully, they can clear up enough of it for me to make sense of. But so far, I've discovered some unfortunate news that I'm sure your boss will want to know of immediately. Unfortunately, I have a feeling we'll all find this case to be quite—unpleasant."

Just then Judy came bursting into the room, her hair slightly mussed and desperately attempting to catch her breath. "Just got a call from Manning. Nina's awake."

* * *

- **Undisclosed Medical Facility** -

Papers lay scattered all over the room. Many on the floor, some on the small table next to the E.K.G., some next to Nina's leg, and many on Manning's lap. The 'tick' and 'beep' in the room was still the dominant source of sound, but the occasional shuffling of papers intervened.

It had been hours since Judy's visit, and still Manning had refused to leave her bedside. A few nurses had come in to check on Nina's vitals and occasionally asked if he needed anything. Each time, he declined.

His hand rubbed over his forehead applying a bit of pressure. There were so many files and each one had some horror story attached to it. It only managed to make him worry more about Nina's wellbeing. Funny how he'd stayed away from her all these years, but this one incident flared up a torrent of emotions in him. _I thought I was over this._

Manning sat oblivious to the world around, oblivious to even the documents in his hands, and the seriousness of the feeling in his heart only made his face sink.

Slowly, Nina's right eye fluttered open, resting her sights on his somber appearance. "Tom, what have I told you about your brooding?" She takes in an exaggerated breath, her drowsiness still apparent. "No wonder you're so bald."

Silence.

And then he laughed. It was strained, but it was laughter none-the-less. And it made her happy.

He rarely laughed as it was.

* * *

A/N: I actually did get to watch Cast Away the other day. Wilsoooooon! No! Wilson! :*(

This chapter was a little short, but I'm satisfied with it. I'll be working on the next chapter in the upcoming weeks. Hopefully, I can get about ½ of it done before spring semester starts.

Thanks again to all the wonderful reviewers and those who listed this story under favorites and story alert. It makes me feel so bubbly knowing people are enjoying this story.

Hugs and fishy kisses (Yeah, I know. I'm a nut.)

Yuki.


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